127 yr one report 042413 final - rtl.berkeley.edu

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Room 127 Dwinelle Hall Test Kitchen First Year Review Alex Miglio, Brenda Farmer, Gina Gaiser, Kevin Chan, Mike Ray, Owen McGrath, & Tim Gotch UC Berkeley Educational Technology Services December 2012

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Page 1: 127 Yr One Report 042413 final - rtl.berkeley.edu

Room  127  Dwinelle  Hall  Test  Kitchen  First  Year  Review    

Alex  Miglio,  Brenda  Farmer,  Gina  Gaiser,  Kevin  Chan,  Mike  Ray,  Owen  McGrath,  &  Tim  Gotch    UC  Berkeley  Educational  Technology  Services    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December  2012  

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127  Dwinelle  Hall  Test  Kitchen  –  First  Year  Review        

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Introduction  ............................................................................................................................  3

Design  Goals  ............................................................................................................................  3

Renovation  Process  .................................................................................................................  3

Test  Kitchen  Physical  Environment  .........................................................................................  4

Test  Kitchen  AV/IT  Configuration  ............................................................................................  4

Room  Users:  Fall  2011  .............................................................................................................  5

Room  Users:  Spring  2012  ........................................................................................................  5

Key  Observations  –  Physical  Environment  ..............................................................................  6

Key  Observations  –  Room  Configuration  ................................................................................  7

Key  Observations  –  Student/Instructor  Engagement  ..............................................................  9

Key  Observations  –  Portable  Writing  Surfaces  ........................................................................  9  

Key  Observations  –  AV/IT  Display  Technologies  ...................................................................  10

Wireless  Technologies  ...........................................................................................................  12

Webcasting  ............................................................................................................................  12

Video  Conferencing  ...............................................................................................................  13  

Key  Observations  –  Room  Control  System  ............................................................................  13  

Key  Observations  –  Room  Support  .......................................................................................  14

Next  Steps  .............................................................................................................................  15

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

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Introduction  In  2011,  Educational  Technology  Services  (ETS)  created  an  experimental  classroom  in  Room  127  Dwinelle  Hall,  with  funding  from  the  Campus  Committee  on  Classroom  Policy  and  Management  (CCCPM).    The  so  called  Test  Kitchen  was  designed  as  a  space  for  exploring  active  learning  classroom  arrangements,  with  a  special  focus  on  identifying  design  features  that  can  someday  be  implemented  more  widely  throughout  general  assignment  (GA)  classrooms.    In  terms  of  pedagogy,  the  term  active  learning  covers  a  wide  range  of  methods  including:  collaborative  learning,  problem-­‐based  learning,  project-­‐based  learning,  and  more.  For  our  purposes,  what  these  methods  have  in  common  is  more  student  engagement  and  participation  than  might  typically  be  found  in  traditional  classroom  interaction  patterns.  

So  far,  the  Test  Kitchen  has  already  been  used  by  more  than  a  dozen  UC  Berkeley  instructors.  This  report  reviews  initial  set-­‐up  as  well  as  operational  aspects  of  the  Test  Kitchen's  first  year.  The  report  offers  detailed  observations  on  various  ways  in  which  the  Test  Kitchen  has  allowed  instructors  to  explore  innovative  teaching  practices  in  either  short  term  or  semester-­‐long  engagements.  The  documented  experiences  of  classes  using  the  Test  Kitchen  over  the  past  year  are  already  helping  ETS  staff  begin  to  understand  some  specific  ways  in  which  GA  classrooms  on  campus  could  be  outfitted  to  allow  for  more  active  learning.    In  addition,  the  first  year’s  experiences  have  allowed  ETS  staff  to  understand  some  of  the  new  approaches  that  will  be  required  in  order  to  support  these  kinds  of  active  learning  classrooms  at  scale.      

Design  Goals  The  Test  Kitchen  is  meant  to  be  a  classroom  where  instructors  can  experiment  with  innovative  teaching  arrangements.    In  order  for  it  to  support  such  explorations,  certain  goals  were  used  in  designing  the  physical  and  AV/IT  environments  in  order  to  support  learner-­‐centered  instructional  methods.  Active  learning  classrooms  make  it  easy  for  instructors  to  engage  their  students  through  the  integrated  use  of  media  and  collaborative  learning  activities.  The  room  should  facilitate  diverse  sizes  and  groupings  of  students,  creating  a  flexible  and  supportive  environment  for  a  class  to  transition  easily  from  large  to  small  group  activities.  Examples  of  design  elements  that  can  enable  instructors  to  move  their  classroom  teaching  beyond  the  traditional  lecture  include:  an  open  floor  plan,  moveable  furniture,  portable  writing  surfaces,  in-­‐floor  cable  outlets,  and  prevalent  display  technology.  

Renovation  Process  After  several  months  of  design  and  planning,  ETS  undertook  the  renovation  of  Room  127  Dwinelle  Hall  in  the  summer  of  2011.  Because  the  room  had  previously  served  as  a  tele-­‐conferencing  classroom,  some  demolition  and  material  removal  was  required,  particularly  the  fixed  bench  seating,  presentation  area,  and  acoustic  coverings.      

The  following  is  an  overview  of  the  renovation  process  that  occurred  during  summer  of  2011:  

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• Physical  Room  Renovation  o Material  Removal:    floor  carpet,  fixed  tables  and  presentation  furniture,  old  A/V  

equipment,  theater-­‐style  lighting  fixtures,  south  acoustical  wall.  o Floor  Coring:  concrete  holes  created  in  five  floor  locations  for  infrastructure  

(power  &  data).  o Window  repair  o Painting  of  south  wall  o Installation  of  new  carpet  tiles  o Delivery  &  assembly  of  furniture;  chairs,  tables,  podium,  Huddleboards  

 Test  Kitchen  Physical  Environment  The  initial  phase  of  renovation  concluded  in  time  for  Fall  2011  classes.  At  this  point,  the  Test  Kitchen  did  not  yet  have  a  full  AV/IT  complement.  However,  the  basic  physical  set-­‐up  was  complete.    The  renovated  space  met  the  major  design  goals:  open  floor  plan,  reconfigurable  furniture,  and  portable  writing  surfaces,  and  basic  data  display.  Given  that  the  people  and  furniture  move  freely  in  the  space,  special  consideration  had  been  given  to  the  placement  of  electrical  outlets  in  order  to  provide  AC  power  for  users'  computing  equipment  (e.g.,  laptops)  wherever  they  may  set  up.    During  the  renovation  phase,  five  holes  were  cored  into  the  concrete  floor  in  a  distributed  pattern  around  the  room.  In  addition  a  central  floor  monument  provided  cabling  outlet  for  both  video  and  data.  The  following  is  an  overview  of  the  physical  environment:  

• Furniture:  32  chairs,  1  instructor  chair,  16  tables,  4  Huddleboard  sets  w/wall-­‐mounted  rails,  and  2  podiums  -­‐  all  on  casters  

• Lighting:  Lutron  system  with  twelve  pre-­‐existing  grid  fluorescent  lighting  recessed  fixtures  

• Finishes:  o Wall  -­‐  pre-­‐existing  acoustic  panels  with  wooden  chair  rail  o Ceiling  -­‐Pre-­‐existing  dropped  ceiling  with  mineral  fiber  tile  

• Floor:  Carpet  tiles  by  Shaw,  Anderson  Carpet  &  Linoleum  Sales  • Window  treatment:  

o 2”  Levolor  Blinds,  Burris  Window  Shades  o Manual  Bead  Chain  &  Clutch  Blackout  Shades,  Burris  Window  Shades  

• Entry  Doors:  Existing  wood  doors,  added  lever  hardware  for  accessibility    • Internet  Connectivity  -­‐  Students:  AirBears;  Instructor  can  use  AirBears  or  ethernet  

connections  located  in  center  floor  monuments  and  A/V  rack  • Electrical  Power  -­‐  Five  floor  monument  style  electric-­‐power  outlets  

Test  Kitchen  AV/IT  Configuration  The  full  AV/IT  system  for  the  Test  Kitchen  was  installed  prior  to  Spring  2012  in  a  second  phase  of  work  during  the  winter  break.  The  following  is  an  overview  of  the  AV/IT  environment:  

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• 1080p  flat  screen  displays  (LCD)  suspended  from  ceiling  mounts  • Computing  devices  –  installed  Mac  Mini,  instructor  MacBook  Pro  &/or  PC  laptop  upon  

request  • Wireless  laptop  and  tablet  display  -­‐  Apple  TV  and  Apple  Airport  express  • Control  interface  –  AMX  touch  panel;  iPad  running  AMX  wireless  control  • Speech  Reinforcement  –  2  wireless  lavalier  microphones  • Audio  capture  of  lecture  and  students  utilizing  wireless  microphones  and  6  “choir  mics”  

suspended  from  the  ceiling  • Video  capture  capability:  3  Sony  SD  cameras  • Video  media  playback  capability:  Panasonic  Blu-­‐ray  and  installed  computer  

Room  Users:  Fall  2011  Inaugural  use  of  the  Test  Kitchen  began  in  August  2011,  only  days  after  the  physical  renovation  and  clean  up  were  completed.  The  following  courses  and  trainings  made  use  of  the  Test  Kitchen  during  Fall  2011:    

• College  Writing  R1A,  Prof.  Sim  Chiang  • ETS  Seminar  -­‐  Awakening  the  Digital  Imagination,  (enrollment  consisted  of  faculty,  

instructors,  academic  support  staff,  library  representatives  and  ETS  staff)  • ETS  Fall  Faculty  Orientations  • ETS  AMX  programmer  training  for  engineers  

Room  Users:  Spring  2012  With  the  AV/IT  systems  installation  completed  in  phase  two  of  the  renovation,  the  Test  Kitchen  was  ready  for  its  first  full  complement  of  academic  classes  in  Spring  2012.  The  following  courses  and  trainings  made  use  of  the  Test  Kitchen  during  Spring  2012:    

• Sociology  185,  co-­‐taught  by  Prof  Michael  Burawoy  &  Laleh  Behbehanian  (ETS  provided  lecture  capture  and  video-­‐conferencing  via  Skype  for  this  unique  'global'  course)  

• East  Asian  Languages  105,  John  Wallace  • Freshman  Seminar,  team  taught  by  Vice  Provost  Cathy  Koshland,  Director  Derek  Van  

Rheenen,  Chancellor  Emeritus  Carl  Pister  • College  Writing,  Jane  Hammons  • Seminar:  Awakening  the  Digital  Imagination,  Bobby  White  • Visiting  Scholars  Program,  Sarah  Nathe  • ES21AC,  Victoria  Robinson,  project-­‐based  usage  for  3  weeks  • ETS  Trainings,  meetings,  orientations  and  dept  tours  • SACUE,  Student  Advisory  Committee  on  Undergraduate  Education  • New  Faculty  Orientation  on  bSpace  

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Key  Observations  –  Physical  Environment  ETS  staff  members  took  careful  note  of  the  day-­‐to-­‐day  experiences  of  the  classes  and  trainings  using  the  Test  Kitchen.  Informal  surveys  and  interviews  also  provided  more  summative  feedback  from  room  users  at  the  end  of  term.    The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  experiences  with  the  physical  environment  during  the  first  year.  

Aesthetics/Ambience:  A  great  many  comments  have  been  made  about  the  “feel”  of  the  learning  environment,  adding  carpet  tiles  compared  to  most  tile/linoleum  floors  in  GA  classrooms,  portable  writing  surfaces,  colorful,  adjustable,  and  comfortable  chairs  and  the  mobility  of  all  furniture  was  key.    Students  ‘felt’  the  difference  when  entering  the  classroom.  “Students  loved  the  environment  in  all  ways  but  particularly  they  seemed  relaxed  and  very  interactive  because  of  the  fluid  nature  of  the  room.”  

a)  Environment  

• It  was  noted  that  the  room  environment  including  the  ability  to  adjust  lighting,  open  windows  for  fresh  air  and  natural  light,  all  played  a  role  in  the  student  interaction  and  focus  issues.  

• With  the  added  ‘extra’  space  planned  into  the  design  and  layout  of  the  learning  environment,  instructors  notice  how  easy  it  is  to  move  around  the  room  and  engage  with  everyone.  

b)  Lighting  Options/Scenes  

• Natural  light  was  obtained  by  uncovering  3  large  windows  overlooking  Strawberry  Creek  and  the  redwoods.    Glass  panes  were  replaced  and  frames  refurbished.  

• Faculty  commented  about  and  used  often,  the  wireless  iPad  for  lighting  controls,  on/off  and  dimming  the  room  environment.  

c)  Furniture  

• Students  that  have  space  for  laptops,  texts  and  other  materials  they  need  or  want  on  hand,  work  more  efficiently  and  are  also  clearly  more  comfortable  (tables  vs.  small  chairs  with  tablet  arms).  

• Flexibility  and  efficient  furniture  that  is  mobile  is  a  huge  factor  in  facilitating  discussions  and  exercises  that  would  not  have  happened  in  a  standard  GA  classroom.  

• Depending  on  the  class  size,  the  ability  to  ‘nest’  furniture  was  very  important  rather  than  having  furniture  in  the  way  for  smaller  sized  classes.    We  often  found  tables  and  chairs  neatly  pushed  to  the  sides  of  the  room  for  this  very  reason.  

• Having  all  furniture  on  wheels/casters  was  a  requirement  for  engagement  in  the  learning  space  keeping  flexibility  always  in  mind.    Further  was  the  need  to  have  chairs  that  swivel,  allowing  students  to  move  from  side-­‐to-­‐side  w/o  having  to  move  their  whole  chair.  

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Key  Observations  –  Room  Configuration  Room  configurations  changed  frequently  across  classes  and  sometimes  within  a  class.    The  built-­‐in  flexibility  allowed  instructors  to  be  creative  in  adapting  their  room  set-­‐up  to  the  activities  planned  for  each  session.  As  a  result,  there  is  no  “one  size  fits-­‐all”  room  configuration  for  the  various  classes  taught  in  127.  Nor  is  there  a  standard  room  configuration  that  is  required  to  reset  at  the  end  of  each  class.    The  instructor  has  the  option  of  entering  the  learning  space  earlier  than  they  would  in  a  traditional  classroom.  In  practice,  the  set-­‐up  time  needed  before  class  to  arrange  the  room  averages  about  10-­‐15  minutes,  less  if  the  instructor  requests  students  to  help.  

 

Figure  1.  Sociology  185  video-­‐conference/seminar  layout.    

 

Figure  2.  Seminar  style  layout  used  by  instructors  Koshland,  Van  Rheenen  and  Pister.  

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Figure  3.  Full  class  seating  for  32  students:  video  viewing  &  white  board  activities  Instructor:  John  Wallace,  EAL  105.  

 

 Figure  4.  Student-­‐led  room  set-­‐up  for  EAL  105.  

 

The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  room  configurations  tried  out  during  the  first  year.  

• A  number  of  instructors  reported  that  the  pre  set-­‐up  time  provided  a  social  opportunity  between  the  students  and  instructor  arranging  the  room:  

“I  engaged  the  students  in  figuring  out  what  the  best  configuration  would  be  for  the  various  things  we  might  do  in  class  .  .  .  they  had  an  archive  of  arrangements  to  refer  to  and  would  suggest  based  on  past  experience  and  what  had  worked  best.”    

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• If  the  class  was  fully  enrolled  (32  students)  and  the  class  met  for  50  minutes,  it  took  too  much  time  to  reconfigure  the  room  more  than  once  –  better  to  have  an  hour  &  a-­‐half  or  more,  to  fully  take  advantage  of  re-­‐setting  the  room  for  different  activities.  

• Smaller,  seminar-­‐style  classes  typically  arranged  the  room  in  a  ‘square’  configuration  so  that  everyone  faced  each  other  for  ease  of  discussion  and  collaboration.  

• Presently  we  allow  a  30-­‐minute  pass  through  before  the  start  of  each  class.    This  allows  time  for  the  students  to  ask  questions  after  class,  while  also  providing  the  next  instructor  time  to  come  in  and  set  up  their  classroom  environment  and  test  media  sources.  

• Some  instructors  learned  to  map  out  their  room  configurations  based  on  the  activity  taught,  would  either  draw  the  configuration  or  display  it  on  a  monitor,  and  then  the  first  students  to  arrive  would  configure  the  room/furniture.  

o “  .  .  .  as  a  total  experience  the  mobility  of  the  furniture  was  a  huge  factor  in  facilitating  discussion  and  not  just  discussion,  but  made  some  exercises  possible  that  I  have  never  been  able  to  do  before.”  

o “Having  efficient  furniture  that  can  be  moved  easily  and  “sized”  for  an  activity  beats  scooting  desks  together  and  moving  them  apart  any  day.  When  students  have  space  for  laptops,  texts  and  other  materials  they  may  need  or  want  on  hand,  they  work  more  efficiently  and  are  also  clearly  more  comfortable.”  

 Key  Observations  –  Student/Instructor  Engagement  The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  how  students  and  instructors  interacted  during  the  first  year.  

• With  the  added  ‘extra’  space  planned  into  the  design  and  layout  of  the  learning  environment,  instructors  notice  how  easy  it  is  to  move  around  the  room  and  engage  with  everyone.  

• In  a  typical  general  assignment  (GA)  classroom,  the  technology  is  located  in  the  front  corner  of  the  room  forcing  the  instructor  to  be  tethered  to  their  laptop.  The  Test  Kitchen  allowed  the  instructor-­‐student  engagement  to  be  centered,  equal  distance  to  all  students  and  wirelessly.  

• More  than  one  instructor  noticed  the  difference  in  engagement  among  students  when  working  in  small  groups:  

“I  would  say  they  (students)  definitely  paid  more  attention  and  seemed  more  accountable  for  good  responses  and  engagement  with  each  other  in  127.”  

 Key  Observations  –  Portable  Writing  Surfaces  The  Huddleboard  portable  writing  surfaces  proved  to  be  very  popular.  The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  how  students  and  instructors  made  use  of  them.  

• Both  Instructors  and  students  used  the  portable  white  boards  in  virtually  every  class.  

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• Huddleboards  are  lightweight,  also  easy  to  move,  use,  and  hang  in  different  parts  of  the  room.  

• The  use  of  the  Huddleboards  varied  from  putting  up  notices  to  working  in  small  groups  and/or  reporting  and  presenting  back  to  the  class.    

• Conversations  took  place  in  small  groups  either  ‘huddled’  at  the  boards/stand  or  using  the  portable  boards  directly  at  their  tables  –  often  using  more  than  one  board  at  a  time.  

• Of  note  was  the  observation  that  students  took  “ownership”  of  their  content/boards  and  felt  freer  to  add/edit  comments.  

• Most  instructors’  felt  that  they  had  to  learn  “how-­‐to-­‐use”  the  huddle  boards  and  observed  more  student  collaboration,  “I  could  watch  students  as  they  built  their  ideas  rather  than  just  hear  the  result  (as  when  they  would  answer  a  small-­‐group  question  or  so  on).”  

• “The  Huddleboards  were  very  useful  for  small  group  activities,  allowing  these  small  groups  to  report  back  to  the  larger  group  quite  effectively.    They  are  also  easy  to  move,  use  and  hang  in  different  parts  of  the  room.”  

• “  .  .  .  using  the  Huddleboards  for  group  work  students  can  literally  group  around  the  board,  hold  conversations  that  don’t  leak  over  onto  the  next  group.  Sometimes  students  used  more  than  one  board  and  could  pull  forward  and  push  back  the  board  that  was  most  or  least  relevant  to  the  presentation  of  their  findings  or  discussion.”  

• “Simple  technology  at  its  best,  white  boards  that  can  be  taken  to  tables  and  hung  on  walls!  Brilliant.”  

• “Watching  them  work,  which  is  possible  when  they  are  huddled  around  a  white  board  with  everyone  writing  and  erasing  and  compromising  on  final  language,  etc.,  gave  me  insight  into  how  they  work  with  material.”  

• “Students  will  sometimes  get  up  and  modify  their  written  comments,  erase  something  or  add  to  it.  They  did  this  on  their  own,  in  part,  I  think  because  of  proximity  and  also  the  comfort  level  of  the  room.  They  didn’t  have  to  walk  to  the  front  of  the  classroom  as  they  would  for  a  chalkboard.”  

• “I  don’t  think  I  have  used  these  nearly  as  well  as  I  wanted  to,  but  I  loved  trying  and  would  definitely  try  to  hone  my  skills  on  building  exercises  around  these  white  boards.”  

• And  most  notably:  “The  Huddle  board  can  remain  in  their  (students)“group  space,”  so  what  is  written  on  it  has  more  permanence  and  students  seem  to  take  some  ownership  of  the  work  they’ve  done.  A  chalkboard  at  the  front  of  the  room  seems  always  to  belong  to  the  teacher,  no  matter  how  it  is  used.”  

 Key  Observations  –  AV/IT  Display  Technologies  As  the  experiences  during  Fall  2011  confirmed,  AV/IT  technology  is  not  a  fundamental  necessity  for  active  learning.  Still,  the  rich  and  varied  use  of  technology  during  Spring  2012  revealed  interesting  ways  in  which  media  use  can  interweave  with  active  learning  activities.    [The  AV/IT  system  installation  was  completed  in  time  for  Spring  2012.]  The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  how  students  and  instructors  used  the  AV/IT  display  technology.  

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• Instructors  often  used  more  than  one  laptop  for  display  -­‐-­‐  their  own  and/or  any  combination  of  the  room’s  laptops,  installed  computer  or  student's  computer.  

• Many  of  the  end-­‐users  displayed  multiple  presentations  in  class  on  more  than  one  monitor.    There  appears  to  be  a  trend  towards  wanting  to  display  different  images  at  the  same  time.  

• For  some  classes,  additional  portable  a/v  equipment  was  brought  in,  specifically  a  document  camera  (requested  as  a  permanent  addition),  a  large  screen,  projector  on  an  A/V  cart,  and  an  HD  video  recorder  used  by  the  instructor  to  review  her  teaching  practice/performance.    

• Room  control  was  a  toss  up,  both  AMX  and  iPad  were  used  equally  though  in  the  Web  capture  class,  one  has  to  use  the  AMX  control  panel  to  set  up  camera  angles  and  for  confidence  monitoring  –  this  is  not  possible  on  the  iPad.    

• The  location  of  the  two  ceiling-­‐height  monitors  came  up  more  than  once  in  conversation  with  both  the  instructor  and  students,  the  preference  was  to  lower  the  monitors  for  better  viewing  angles/site  lines.      

• Observed  at  certain  times  of  the  day  and  depending  on  the  weather,  (south  facing)  sunlight  washing/reflecting  off  wall  mounted  monitors,  laptops,  as  well  as  reflections  from  the  overhead  lights  on  the  whiteboards  and  laptops.  

• Other  sightlines  were  experienced  when  viewing  the  two  large  monitors  on  stands  especially  when  trying  to  read  subtitles  and  having  32  students  in  the  room.    Moving  chairs  around  helped  with  this  issue  but  it  may  continue  to  be  a  problem.  Adjustments  were  made  throughout  the  semester  on  an  as  needed  basis  to  improve  sight  lines  for  various  activities.  

• Comments  from  instructors  came  up  who  like  having  the  option  of  one  large  data  projection  display  (in  addition  to  the  4  large  monitors).  

• At  least  two  of  the  classes  required  students  to  bring  laptops  or  mobile  devices  for  interaction  and  collaboration  in  the  class.  

• Project  work  -­‐  Wikipedia  Assignments:    The  instructor  broke  her  class  up  into  groups  and  met  on  three  Fridays.    Instruction  included  the  uses  of  Wikipedia,  how  to  edit  and  add  content  -­‐  used  all  monitors  but  needed  to  increase  font  in  order  to  read  from  the  Internet  site.  

o “Sometimes  I  had  a  student’s  computer  hooked  up,  along  with  mine,  and  then  used  the  in-­‐class  computer  to  just  expose  a  steady  Twitter  stream  as  a  background.  Very  useful.”  

o “  .  .  .  we  always  had  our  bSpace  site  (learning  management  system)  projected  onto  the  screens  to  make  certain  that  the  class  was  all  on  the  same  page  with  assignments,  resources  and  the  use  of  forums.”  

• Hybrid  courses  -­‐  a  few  classes  used  popular  social  media  network  sites  to  deliver  information,  chat  and  communicate  outside  of  class  time.  Blogs,  Twitter,  Facebook  and  others  were  used  to  connect  and  collaborate  with  sister  courses  being  taught  on  other  campuses  and  in  other  countries.      

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Wireless  Technology  

• About  half  of  the  instructors  gravitated  toward  the  iPad  for  room  control.    It’s  wireless,  and  instructors  enjoy  not  being  tethered.  

• Wireless  Internet  access  was  successful  for  all  end  users  who  taught  this  year  aiding  in  all  respects  to  the  flow  of  instruction  for  teaching  and  learning.  

• Observed  instructors  trying  out  the  wireless  keyboard  and  mouse  sometimes  for  the  first  time  –  range  limits  to  about  15’.  

• The  Test  Kitchen  allowed  the  instructor  to  be  centered,  equal  distance  to  all  students.  • A  couple  of  instructors  have  piloted  displaying  a  Mac  laptop  wirelessly  using  AppleTV.  

This  has  added  a  fourth  computer  option  for  some  who  are  using  multiple  displays.  It  adds  to  the  flexibility  of  the  room  and  ease  of  set  up.  

Webcasting  

• One  class  was  webcast  in  Spring  2012,  while  cameras  and  system  were  in  place,  capture  agent,  post  production  workflow  and  programming  needs  were  not  tested  and  reliably  working  prior  to  the  start  of  classes.  We  had  to  change  the  process  and  method  of  capture  to  be  able  to  post  the  class  in  a  timely  manner.  

• For  this  type  of  activity,  webcasting,  we  had  to  have  staff  involved  to  control  the  camera  shots  and  monitor  signals.  

• Although  we  hoped  that  webcast  records  could  be  operated  by  the  instructor  or  someone  in  the  class,  this  class  was  too  complex  to  expect  someone  new  to  do  the  video  recording.  Four  students  from  the  class  were  trained,  and  each  operated  the  system  for  several  classes.  For  consistency,  it  was  determined  that  one  person  should  do  all  of  the  camera  work  to  ensure  smooth  operations.  ETS  provided  a  staff  person.  The  trained  students  assisted  with  the  Skype  connect  and  audio.  

Video  Conferencing  

• “Skype”  mode  on  AMX  makes  collaboration  easy.  The  two  large  monitors  lend  themselves  to  video  conferencing-­‐-­‐far  site  and  materials  on  one/near  site  on  the  other.  Three  cameras  cover  all  areas  of  room.  Camera  presets  allow  for  quick  camera  changes  based  on  room  configuration.  Using  Skype  from  installed  computers  allows  for  hard  wired  connection  that  is  more  reliable  and  stable.  Ceiling  microphones  pick  up  participants'  talk  within  the  room.  

• The  Polycom  video  conferencing  unit  is  antiquated,  but  ties  in  well  with  the  standard  definition  quality  of  video  technology  currently  installed  in  the  room.  During  the  first  year,  only  Skype  was  utilized  for  this  purpose.  It  proved  quite  adequate.  

• More  reliable  video-­‐conferencing  tools  might  be  worth  consideration.  Using  Skype  can  mean  that  you’re  susceptible  to  dropped  connections.    

• Blackout  shades  on  the  windows  were  used  for  the  Skype  class.  

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• “On  Wednesdays  we  Skyped  in  people  from  all  over  the  world.  They  appeared  on  two  screens  and  we  (the  class)  were  on  the  other  two  screens.”  -­‐  Sociology  185  participant.  

Key  Observations  –  Room  Control  System  Easy  automated  control  of  classroom  AV/IT  systems  has  been  a  major  focus  of  ETS  support  and  services  in  the  general  assignment  classrooms  over  the  past  decade.  The  Test  Kitchen  presents  an  ongoing  opportunity  for  ETS  to  look  at  the  control  requirements  of  the  future  classrooms  where  the  display  options  might  greatly  increase.  The  following  are  some  key  observations  about  user  and  support  experiences  with  the  control  system  during  the  first  year:  

• For  such  an  unprecedented  room  with  its  array  of  display  technology,  a  traditional  and  thorough  needs  assessment  process  was  not  possible  prior  to  the  initial  technology  implementation.    Instead,  ETS  treated  the  control  system  programming  more  as  a  work-­‐in-­‐progress.  Program  development  proceeded  iteratively  in  response  to  user  needs  and  experiences  during  the  semester.  This  agile  approach  sometimes  led  to  timing  issues  in  terms  of  testing.  Nevertheless,  the  control  system  matured  well.    

• With  an  interest  in  how  such  technologies  might  someday  be  taken  to  scale  on  campus,  ETS  was  determined  to  leverage  the  types  of  technology  that  is  already  in  place  on  campus.  Unlike  personal  computers,  control  system  hardware  can  be  expected  to  last  a  decade  or  more.  Any  large  scale  effort  to  modernize  the  classroom  to  a  state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art  active  learning  space  will  need  to  be  based  on  some  amount  of  re-­‐use  of  existing  infrastructure.  

o Recycled  technology  was  utilized  in  many  cases  in  the  Test  Kitchen.  § The  AMX  NI-­‐3000  controller  was  5  years  old  § A  recycled  standard  definition  camera  system  was  employed  § An  older  Polycom  video  conferencing  system  was  installed  

• iPad  control  was  a  new  frontier  in  terms  of  control  systems  programming.  Providing  secure  access  to  controllers  from  tablets  is  key  area  of  interest  for  ETS.  This  first  experiment  with  wireless  control  in  the  Test  Kitchen  has  been  very  valuable.  Someday  we  hope  to  support  tablet  and  even  smart  phone-­‐based  wireless  room  control  on  campus.  

o Issues  have  persisted  with  iPad  control,  namely  loss  of  power  due  to  users  failing  to  charge  the  unit  and  loss  of  connectivity  with  the  AMX  wireless  access  point  (WAP).  

o Because  the  camera  preview  is  not  available  on  the  iPad  control  panel,  camera  controls  are  limited  to  push-­‐button  functionality  without  visual  feedback.  The  system  has  been  programmed  with  the  capability  to  show  cameras  on  the  installed  monitors  to  facilitate  camera  control,  but  certain  situations  preclude  users  from  utilizing  this  feature.  The  wired  12-­‐inch  controller  is  the  obvious  alternative.  

• The  experimental  nature  of  the  room  led  to  much  trial-­‐and-­‐error  when  it  came  to  finalizing  the  initial  build  of  the  control  system.  Many  weeks  were  spent  changing  basic  and  advanced  functionality.  Iterative  testing  led  to  extensive  tweaking  and  extended  

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support  needed  in  the  room  until  users  were  comfortable  and  the  system  was  fully  stable.  

• GUI  design  was  created  with  a  similar  aesthetic  to  the  GUI  designs  currently  deployed  across  campus.  Functionality  is  drastically  different  because  of  the  nature  of  the  room.  

o There  are  many  changes  possible  in  the  future,  including  implementing  a  GUI  design  that  utilizes  the  room’s  floor  plan  as  basis  for  control.  

Key  Observations  –  Room  Support  The  following  are  some  key  observations  drawn  from  ETS  staff  experiences  in  supporting  the  Test  Kitchen  classes.  

• Fall  2011,  the  first  semester  of  use,  required  more  hands-­‐on  support  than  originally  planned  for  however  this  was  due  to  two  ‘edge-­‐case’  classes.    One  that  was  captured  and  webcasted,  the  other  requiring  more  set-­‐up/down  time  because  of  a  fully  enrolled  class  of  32  students  and  the  instructor  experimenting  with  different  room  set-­‐ups.  

• ETS  has  dedicated  support  staff  available  for  the  start  of  each  class  for  the  first  3-­‐4  weeks  of  the  semester.    Most  classes  were  self-­‐supporting  after  two  weeks.  

• Year  one,  the  identified  staff  technologist  from  ETS  (Gina  Gaiser),  communicated  each  semester  with  the  ETS  engineers,  post-­‐production  staff  related  to  capture  &  delivery  modes,  and  AMX  programmer  for  end-­‐user  control  panel  requirements.  

• For  webcasting,  ETS  had  to  have  staff  involved  to  control  the  camera  shots  and  monitor  signals.    

• Many  of  the  end-­‐users  were  displaying  multiple  sources  in  class  on  more  than  one  monitor.    This  appears  to  be  a  trend  as  a  few  of  the  instructors  coming  into  the  program  for  Fall  2012  are  also  requesting  the  ability  to  display  more  than  one  source  at  a  time.  

• ETS  provides  mandatory  room  orientations  for  instructors  prior  to  the  start  of  the  semester  for  those  teaching  in  the  Test  Kitchen  that  includes  furniture  use  &  layouts,  Huddleboard  usage,  window  treatment  options,  technology,  security  issues  and  room  guidelines.  

• Maintenance  including  cleaning  and  room  checks,  technology  repairs,  replacement  &  installation,  must  be  scheduled  and  a  requirement  of  the  new  learning  space  for  optimal  performance.  

• Currently,  ETS  hires  students  to  do  testing  and  cleaning  once  a  week  (i.e.,  approximately  25  hrs./semester).  

• Only  abbreviated  testing  was  possible  before  the  start  of  Spring  semester  after  the  installation  of  AV/IT  equipment.    Lesson  learned:  anytime  changes  are  made  to  the  AV/IT  or  room  control  systems,  thorough  testing  must  be  done.  

• The  first  year  required  more  hands-­‐on  support  than  perhaps  originally  planned  for.    We  had  dedicated  support  staff  available  for  the  start  of  each  class  for  the  first  3-­‐4  weeks  of  the  semester.    Going  forward,  it’s  our  desire  to  have  the  instructor  ‘conducting’  his  or  her  own  class  more  independently.  

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• We  scheduled  two  ‘edge’  case  classes  Spring  semester.  One  of  those  classes  truly  pushed  the  limits  of  the  installed  technology.  The  other  taught  us  a  lot  about  the  impact  of  a  fully  enrolled  class  (i.e.,  32  students)  with  an  instructor  who  applied  active  learning  principles  that  required  flipping  the  room  within  a  50  minute  window  of  class  time.  For  the  latter,  ETS  recommends  1  ½  -­‐  2  hr  class  when  enrolling  32  students  and  applying  active  learning  principles.  

• For  now,  we  confirmed  the  need  to  have  a  30-­‐minute  window  between  classes  allowing  instructors  time  to  reconfigure  the  room  and  test  their  media  sources.    Scaling  this  principle  out  into  GA  classrooms  will  not  work  however;  we  have  a  10-­‐minute  pass  through.    What  is  recommended  for  instructors  who  are  familiar  with  student-­‐centered  learning  is  to  adopt  creative  ways  to  plan  their  curriculum  and  use  their  students  to  help  set  up  the  room.    Instructors  soon  learn  the  advantage  to  doing  this.  

Next  Steps  During  Fall  2012  semester,  Dwinelle  127  is  seeing  use  by  instructors  from  East  Asian  Languages,  College  Writing,  Classics,  Mechanical  Engineering,  Physics  and  Theater,  Dance  &  Performance  Studies.      The  following  are  some  of  the  areas  on  which  ETS  will  focus  attention  for  Fall  2012.    

• Instructors  who  have  applied  to  use  the  room  are  requesting  early  access  time  in  the  room  to  become  more  familiar  with  it  before  the  semester  start;  testing  out  various  room  layouts,  become  familiar  with  the  furniture,  Huddleboards  and  technology.    We  are  encouraging  them  to  schedule  accordingly  with  us.  

• Instructors  new  to  active  learning  are  very  interested  in  gleaming  more  from  other  experienced  faculty  who  have  taught  in  the  “test-­‐kitchen.”  ETS  will  look  for  ways  to  build  interaction  and  community  between  old-­‐timers  and  newcomers.  

• ETS  is  partnering  with  the  new  Center  for  Teaching  to  plan  joint  meetings  (e.g.,  brown-­‐bag,  panel  discussion)  focused  on  best  practices  and  real  experiential  applications  of  student-­‐centered  learning.  

• ETS  hopes  to  provide  mock-­‐up  room  layouts  for  instructors  to  help  them  see  the  range  of  possibilities.  

• ETS  will  continue  the  mandatory  room  orientations  prior  to  the  start  of  the  semester  for  those  teaching  in  the  Test  Kitchen.  

• Maintenance  (including  cleaning  and  room  checks,  technology  repairs,  replacement  &  installation)  will  be  scheduled  and  made  into  a  more  formal  requirement  of  the  new  Test  Kitchen,  for  optimal  performance.  

• ETS  staff  will  continue  to  observe  classes  throughout  the  semester  and  document  best  practices.  

• ETS  plans  to  continue  to  update  the  room’s  technology,  as  needed.  Possible  areas  include:    

o Install  HD  video  technology  o Upgrade  the  video  conferencing  unit  o Wireless  note-­‐taking  technology  (e.g.,  LiveScribe)  

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o Find  better  wireless  video  technologies  o Install  a  data  projector  and  wall-­‐mounted  screen  

ETS  will  also  continue  to  share  successes  and  lessons  learned  with  our  partners  and  with  the  campus  community  at  large.  The  ETS  Staff  in  Action  page  (http://ets.berkeley.edu/staff-­‐in-­‐action)  on  our  web  site  was  recently  created  as  a  new  venue  where  we  can  get  out  the  word  quickly  about  the  dynamic  participation  of  our  staff  in  a  wide  range  of  efforts  and  collaborations  such  as  the  Test  Kitchen.  Check  it  out.